It may be difficult for the Western mind to reconcile that the words sacred and prostitute can be linked, since the Judeo-Christian tradition considers sexuality to be profane, the antithesis of the spirit. However, in the days of the cult of the Great Goddess, sexuality was revered and sacred. We find evidence of sacred prostitution throughout the ancient world, as early as the Gilgamesh epic of 7000 B.C. C. Herodotus, a Greek historian from the 3rd century BC. C wrote:
“…women of the earth…sit in the temple of love and have sex with some stranger…men pass by and make their choice. No matter what the sum of money, women will never refuse, because that was a sin, being the money for this act sanctified. After their relationship, she has sanctified herself in the eyes of the goddess…”1
Sacred prostitution occurred in the early civilizations of Sumer, Babylon, Egypt, Lebanon, and Rome, and is mentioned in the Hammurabi code. It also appears to have been common in Europe and the Middle East before the rise of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In fact, sacred prostitutes not only existed, they flourished and were considered important members of society:
“…the sacred prostitutes were many in number. According to Strabo, in the temples of Aphrodite at Eryx and Corinth there were more than a thousand, while in each of the two Comanas some six thousand resided. They were accorded social status and they were educated. In some cases, they remained politically and legally equal to men.” two
The Golden Age of goddess worship, in which sacred prostitution became widespread, was the Age of Taurus, whose polarity is Scorpio, the two signs most commonly associated with sexuality. Venus is the ruler of Taurus, and Venus as a goddess is physically beautiful and sexually attractive. She is the goddess of earthly, sexual and sensual love. The Great Goddess was the bearer of all living things, responsible for the fertility of the earth. Through her came new life, and sexuality was one of the mysteries of creation. Sexuality was revered and worshiped in a way that is difficult for us to understand today. In the temples of the goddess, the sacred prostitutes were her priestesses. Their bodies were available to share the blessings of the goddess with strangers, hungry for love and connection. In this way, sexual love was shown to be divine, from the goddess, not separate from her. Hesiod, a poet from the 8th century BC. C wrote:
“…the sensual magic of the sacred harlots ‘softened the behavior of men’… She is the bringer of sexual joy and the vessel by which crude animal instincts are transformed into love and lovemaking.” two
These women were known in ancient languages as the nu-gig, or “the spotless”, “the pure or unblemished”. 3 This seems to be particularly in the nature of Virgo, that a woman known for her beauty and sexuality would be considered pure. The priestess felt like the incarnation of the holy spirit when making love with the men who came to pay homage to the goddess. She was a teacher of the mysteries, of the healing and restorative power of sexual energy.
2) M. Esther Harding, Woman’s Mysteries: Ancient and Modern, New York, NY: Harper Colophon Books, 1971
1) Nancy Qualls-Corbett, The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine, Toronto, Canada: Inner City Books, 1988
© 2010 Catherine Auman